A Local Area Network (LAN) is a system of personal computers, work stations, terminals or devices that are interconnected via a building's structured voice and data wiring to form a network that permits groups of people to work together. A LAN allows these groups of people to access either common data from a mainframe computer, file servers, or each other's common files. It also allows these groups to share common assets such as printers or FAX machines. Well designed LANs make people more productive and reduce capital equipment costs by allowing multiple use of a hardware assets.
Common to all LANs are structured wiring and equipment that helps direct and distribute the data to and from all locations. A typical distribution scheme would be for the output of a host computer to go via the building's internal wiring (typically data grade Unshielded Twisted Pair telephone wire) to a distribution point frequently called "a wiring closet". The equipment in the wiring closet distributes data to and from all the offices, work stations, printers, etc. that are connected to the LAN.
Wiring closets are equipped with a uniform system of vertical racks that are utilized to hold a variety of "rack mounted" components and "black" boxes that are essential to process and distribute data over the LAN. Depending on the size and type of LAN, there can be many of these closets in a building and each one can contain as few as one rack or upwards of 20 or 30 racks.
A common element of almost all LANs are patch panels. Patch Panels are used to cross connect structured wiring to various locations in the building. Typically the patching is from the main host computer to a number of users or from a server to a number of local area networks. In some respects, patch panels can be viewed as glorified junction boxes, a place to connect and redistribute signals.
Existing patch panel technology takes into account the type of structured wiring, such as: Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP), Shielded Twisted Pair, Coaxial, Twinax or Fiber, and converts it to a conventional connector such as 6 or 8 pin modular jacks, Coaxial MBNC or FBNC, Twinax or Fiber.
Today's products utilize a number of approaches to attach the structure wiring to the panel in order to make electrically satisfactory connections. Some of these methods are: Telco connectors, 66 blocks, 110 blocks, Krone connectors, BNC connectors Twinax Connectors and Fiber Connectors.
Currently, the industry has evolved to data rates up to 155 Mb/s over 100 MHZ rated UTP. This scheme has become very popular because it is a cost effective way to achieve the higher data transmission rates that are required in today's business environment. This scheme is known as "Category 5" or commonly abbreviated as "Cat5".
The TIA/EIA is the industry trade organization that is responsible for defining performance standards for both Cat5 components as well as total installations. Additionally, third party agencies have been formed to test and certify compliance to the EIA/TIA specification that are applicable.
A typical Cat5 patch panel (FIG. 1) has evolved to a 12, 24, 48 or 96 port unit. The front of the panel has horizontal rows of 24 modular jacks 30 and, depending on the style, can be anywhere from one to six rack spaces in width. One rack space equals 1.75". The rear of the panel receives the building wiring via a system of horizontally mounted insulation displacement connectors (commonly called "110 blocks") 20 that are also connected electrically to a specific modular jack 30.
The modular jacks and the insulation displacement connectors are attached to a printed circuit board 40 that is designed to achieve the electrical performance levels as stated in the applicable industry specifications at time of manufacture.
In a Cat5 installation, 4 pairs of wire from the patch panel modular jacks are routed to corresponding jacks on an information outlet located in an office or area that is to be connected to the LAN. Many installations are using the quad jack configuration requiring 4 wiring bundles, each containing 8 wires, for a total of 32 wires to the information outlet.
The layout or mechanical design of the existing Cat5 Patch panels is dictated by the design of the printed circuit board and convention. In existing products the 110 blocks are arranged in long horizontal rows, extending the width of the panel. Since the structured wiring accesses the panel from the side, this arrangement requires installers to work with long lengths of thick wires that are difficult to manage and attach over the entire length of the panel.
The installation of the information outlet at the user's location is equally difficult. In a typical product offering, the insulation displacement blocks are mounted directly to the back of the modular jack. The installer must handle the small jacks and manipulate the wires into place and then, while holding the assembly in his hand, the installer must "punch-down" (industry jargon for performing the insulation displacement operation) and terminate the wires.
In a typical Cat5 installation, this step is repeated 4 times per wall plate and then the jack/insulation displacement assemblies, with the wires connected, must be inserted in the wall plate. The wall plate assembly is then secured to the wall. The wall plate and jacks are matched to the panel via a sequential numbering system that references the patch panel position to a corresponding jack position in the wall plate. The installation is then tested with appropriate test equipment for compliance to Cat5 performance criteria.
A specification compliant Cat5 installation requires specific practices with respect to the routing, forming and positioning of the wires. If these practices are not followed rigorously, the result will be a system that is not specification compliant upon completion. The installation of a specification compliant system is very time consuming and difficult. Current market offerings do not lend themselves to ease of installation and are not user friendly.
Thus, it would represent an advancement in the art to provide LAN installers with a new and superior patch panel and wall unit assembly that simplifies the installation process and renders more understandable wiring design and layout between the patch panel and the wall units.